Stewb62

Delighted to have authored this report, launched today, busting one of the biggest myths in British politics.

The public doesn't see action on public health as 'the nanny state'. In fact, they want bolder action - incl among key swing voters.

This has major implications for policy & politics. 🧵

Being hit by an #SUV increases the likelihood of death or serious injury

Findings from analysis of data on 600,000+ collisions include children 82% more likely to be killed if struck by an SUV or LTV rather than smaller vehicle.

www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/n...

Tree roots that look like an Ent

This #Ent is clearly having a rest on a hot day here in #Somerset #LOTR @nationaltrust.org.uk #FyneCourt

The Big Mal final is still on!

Rightwing populists will keep winning until we grasp this truth about human nature | George Monbiot Economic inequality breeds resentment and a desire to get even. That’s what fuels support for even incompetent regimes, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

It's a straightforward relationship: high #inequality leads to the triumph of the far right. It will keep winning until governments deliberately seek to make societies more equal. I'm looking at you, Keir Starmer.
This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I hope someone's checking for insider trading by the inner circle and associates.

Label of pecan nuts purchased this morning in the UK highlighting country of origin Mexico

Dear USA. I'm choosing to buy #Mexican pecans today here in the UK. The #USA has a trade SURPLUS with the UK, so these new tariffs on us are damaging to our businesses. Friends don't behave like this.

RFK Jr says they are poisoning us, influencers call them unnatural – but what is the truth about seed oils? The common cooking ingredient has sparked fierce debate since the US health secretary urged people to avoid it

www.theguardian.com/science/2025.... Spoiler alert: Kennedy is wrong!

In 2010 UK fuel duty was 57.19p per litre. Today it stands at 52.95p. Had the rate increased by inflation it would be 87p/l today. With pump prices also falling at the moment, surely it makes sense for the Chancellor to reintroduce indexing of fuel duty today.

I hope they're not using numbers of potholes filled as a key measure. The holes are merely a symptom of failure. The key measure is % of roads in good repair.

YouTube video by Active Travel England Betty, aged seven, wants more walking, wheeling and cycling

I have lots of people like Betty in my ward and I try and take their views into account when I get to make decisions

Word of the day is ‘huff-snuff’ (16th century): a hectoring bully or braggart.

I genuinely feel sick after watching that presser & not in a ‘Trump was rude, pass the smelling salts’ way or even shock that you’d publicly bully a wartime leader like that. It’s the utter narcissism. Trump could literally start WW3 because he feels his ego hasn’t been sufficiently stroked.

Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How low will they go? A barbaric crime - Wild Justice The grouse shooting industry doesn’t like to talk about raptor (bird of prey) killing because it’s wildlife crime. It’s not […]

How low will they go? A barbaric crime — wildjustice.org.uk/bandgspetiti...

Most of Britain won't be taking any lessons in British values from Trump/Vance

It is a British value to oppose dictators in Europe, not to reward them.

It is a British value to accept it if you lose. To turn up & congratulate the winner, not to sulk + incite violence to try to overturn democracy

How low will they go? Shooting a sleeping beauty - Wild Justice The grouse shooting industry doesn’t like to talk about raptor (bird of prey) killing because it’s wildlife crime. It’s not […]

How low will they go? Shooting a sleeping beauty — wildjustice.org.uk/general/how-...

Because the places where we live, work and play are so important for our health, we are working to support public health teams forge closer relationships with planning departments so that places can be developed with health & wellbeing in mind.

Visit ➡️ bit.ly/3WmqMoq

The insanity of being a fire ecologist in the epicenter of a major fire event, bags packed and ready to evacuate, watching active fire from my window, while taking media requests and explaining to the public, for the 100,000th time how climate change is largely responsible for this

There's much to be said for the German practice of opening windows for a few minutes each morning to let humid air out, in the absence of mechanical whole house ventilation with heat exchange.

Potentially, but remember there are several factors at play with mould, not just heating. Many UK houses have low thermal efficiency, which coupled with humidity from occupants, cooking and laundry drying and lack of ventilation, often leads to condensation and subsequently mould.

Over at the other place, Elon Musk is frantically re-tweeting far right conspiracy theorists about child sexual abuse in the UK. The deeper he gets, the trickier it becomes for Nigel Farage. It's not just a few pro-Tommy Robinson tweets – Musks seems to be getting embedded in that racist ecosystem.

Some people still believe the Dutch only cycle because their country is flat and the weather is mild. Well, here’s the real reason: exceptional cycling infrastructure—on a cold, grey winter’s day.

Passage from Carl Sagan’s A demon-haunted world book.

Some folks are pretty good seeing things coming.

“It's amazing how pollution has dropped in #Paris in 15 years. @annehidalgo.bsky.social has filled the city with bike-lanes & not only has she reduced pollution by 40% but she’s also been re-elected.”

Trading car space for green space, bike space, kid space…trading pollution for people. Good trade.

The five-minute city: inside Denmark’s revolutionary neighbourhood While ambitious urban planners try to make 15-minute cities a reality, the Nordhavn district of Copenhagen has gone one better. What’s life like when everything you need is just a stroll away?

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Youth Tobacco Product Use Continues to Decline FDA’s ongoing efforts serve to make tobacco-related disease and death part of our nation’s past, ensuring a healthier future for our youth.

US teen nicotine use:
-deadly cigarette use has dropped 90% to near zero
-safer nicotine vape use is now at a 10-year low
(less than half the number who smoked in 2011)
-nicotine use from any source is now at a 50-year low
(down 49% over the past decade)
www.fda.gov/news-events/...

Crisis?

Why are US lawmakers more alarmed about teen nicotine use NOW than they were 10 years ago in 2014?

Teen nicotine use:
2014: 17.3% (9.2% smoked cigarettes; 13.3% vaped ecigs)
2024: 8.3% (1.7% smoke cigarettes; 7.8% vape ecigs)

NOTE: FDA says "e-cigarettes are markedly less risky than cigarettes."

What is the real toll of natural and climate disasters? Science has staggering new answers | Devi Sridhar New research challenges us to look beyond the initial event to the devastating long-term impacts. Governments must take note, says public health expert Devi Sridhar

New Guardian column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Politics and Policies for London’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods This seminar will explore the pioneering policies and contentious politics surrounding the design and implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) across London. We will hear from experts on th...

1/ Yesterday I spoke at UCL about the transformational benefits of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

This is what LTNs do:

* Halve road injuries.
* Eliminate rat-running.
* Reduce pollution, even at boundaries.
* Reduce street crime.

And here's the evidence...👇
www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pla...